PROGRAMME
Friday, 27th March 2009 The Gateway, Shrewsbury at 7.30 pm
James Godfrey & Scott FosterMarimba Spiritual : Minoru Mikki
This piece was written in 1968, a year starvation in Africa was becoming more prominent in the media. As a person who had experienced similar suffering before and after the end of World War II, Miki could not be silent. Rather he felt that he must express his condolences and anger for that situation. He composed Marimba Spiritual as an expression of his feelings. He composed the first slow section as a static requiem, and the second fast section as lively resurrection. The title "Marimba Spiritual" is as expression of the total process. Today the second section will be played. The rhythmic patterns for the second part are taken from the festival drumming of the Chichibu area northwest of Tokyo.Praeludium : Bach
The mellow sound of the marimba lends itself well to arrangements of classical pieces. This selection of Bach piano pieces is a great example and shows the instruments' versatility.Black and White Rag
This is a 1908 ragtime composition by George Botsford. The first known recording of this song was by Albert Benzler, recorded on U-S Everlasting Cylinder 380 in about 1909. One of the best known versions of this piece of music was recorded in 1952 by pianist Winifred Atwell and helped her to establish an international profile. Originally the B-side of another composition, Cross Hands Boogie, Black and White Rag was championed by the popular disc jockey Jack Jackson and started a craze for Atwell's honky-tonk style of playing. It became a million selling gold record, and in the UK was later used as the theme tune for the long-running BBC2 television snooker tournament, Pot Black.42nd Street Rondo : Wayne Siegel
42nd Street Rondo is written for two percussionists with two matched sets of percussion instruments. Each measure is repeated several times, the number of repetitions being decided by the players. In some cases player A decides when to move on to the next bar, in other cases player B decides when to move on and in some cases both players must agree on when to move on. This gives the performers a certain amount of freedom to shape the piece during performance. The title refers to the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, where street musicians often perform.Jazz standard
This short improvisation shows an example of the common context within which the vibraphone is used.Dream of The Cherry Blossoms : Keiko Abe
Keiko Abe's Dream Of The Cherry Blossoms is a composition based on an improvisation on the theme of the Japanese song Sakura, Sakura.... In this marimba solo, the world of fantasy is caught in an expanse of continuously falling cherry blossoms.Jazz Suite – Boogie : Richard Michael
Taken from a collection of improvisation based vibraphone pieces, Boogie is written in the unusual signature of 7/4 and proves quite a test for both percussionist and pianist.Marimba Concerto - Mov. 1 & 4 : Ney Rosauro
The Concerto was written in June and July 1986 in Brasilia and is dedicated to the composer's son Marcelo. The work was originally written for marimba and string orchestra and was premiered in the USA that year with the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin under the direction of Manuel Prestamo. The concerto contains four movements - unusual for the concerto form - which follow the fast-slow-fast pattern, with the medium tempo third movement inserted before the vigorous finale. Some Brazilian motifs and jazz elements are used throughout the piece, which contains strong rhythmic patterns and catchy melodies.Etude in C : Clare Omar Musser
The etudes and preludes written by Musser were composed while he was teaching marimba at Northwestern University between 1946 and 1950 and were written for particular students to assist them with their problems in certain performance areas. The second etude in C is written for four-mallets and is often referred to as the "Nature solitude which affords one many peaceful moments of contemplationTaps in Tempo : Jan Berenska
A great example of writing pieces to the strengths of the instruments, in this case is the Xylophone and Marimba. The short sharp sound of the xylophone in the melody is well suited to the cheeky nature of this rag style piece by Jan Berenska.MBIRA - A short percussion piece as a result of today's workshop.
Blues for Gilbert : Mark Glentworth
This piece has its origin in the same way that many Bach organ pieces and some Mozart keyboard works originated: It was a written-down version of the composer's improvisation; essentially a jazz piece that has been turned into an attractive composition for a classical percussion recital by being formalized as fully notated music. Mark Glentworth, a percussionist, is well-known as a studio musician, and for three years was a member of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' avant-garde chamber group The Fires of London. He was also the leader of the rock group Blaze, which is part of the texture of Davies' opera Resurrection. It is a gentle piece, using the "cool jazz" feeling that the vibraphone now often evokes. There is great tenderness in its shimmering feeling, and a sense of loss. It is dedicated to the memory of his teacher Gilbert Webster.Toccata for Vibe and Marimba : Anders Koppel
The composer and musician, Koppel was born 1947, began playing the organ in 1966 and was a co-founder in 1967 of the rock group 'Savage Rose' which toured Europe and the USA. This piece was commissioned by the popular percussion duo Safri Duo, and was written Christmas 1990. The work is constructed like a rondo with a main part of rhythmically driving character, which gives space for other parts, only to return with renewed strength. After a fanfare and a presentation of the main theme a powerful tango follows, then a 'memento' in the shape of a waltz, after that a point of standstill, which leads to a slow melody - returning to the tango which reaches its climax in a rapid 7/8 fugue. Then follows the cadenza, the piece ending with a short coda, which returns to the main theme. The general feeling in Toccata is extrovert and playful, poetical and dramatic - and very virtuosic for the two soloists.
JAMES GODFREY
Born in Torbay, Devon, James graduated in 2005 with a PGdip from the Royal College of Music in London, where he previously completed an undergraduate Honours degree. He studied Percussion with Kevin Hathway and Timpani with Andrew Smith.
James has travelled widely as a soloist working with a versatile programme and a vast array of instruments. He has performed Concertos in The Arts Centre - San Francisco, New College - Oxford, The Colston Hall - Bristol, and many venues around London. James' freelance playing has enabled him to work with a diverse range of orchestras including The Sid Lawrence Big Band, The John Wilson Orchestra, South Bank Sinfonia, The New Professionals, Contemporary Consort, Britten Sinfonia and the Philharmonia Orchestra with whom he has been involved in many educational outreach projects, including the BBC Blue Peter Prom. He has worked recently on the west end tours of Guys and Dolls and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While James' postgraduate study was kindly funded by the Countess of Munster Trust - who are kindly funding today's recital - additional awards and prizes include AHRB research Award, MBF Music Education Award, Stanley Picker Prize, the Gladys Hay Prize, the St Marylebone Award, and the Lynn foundation award. Most recently he has been awarded the prestigious Royal College of Music's Tagore Gold Medal - For the most outstanding student. In 2003 James formed 'drum-ology' - an education group who travel extensively giving workshops and recitals — to date he has been into more than 300 schools. Taking percussion to the younger audiences. Today we see him working with Scott Foster.SCOTT FOSTER
Scott began his percussion studies at the City of Belfast School of Music at the age of 10. He was a member of the city of Belfast Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, becoming principal percussionist in both. In his final year at the School of Music he was awarded the Stephen Parker award and also the Bertram Jones cup for piano. A winner of the NI Young Musician of the Year title and twice finalist in the percussion section of the televised BBC Young Musicians competition, Scott was awarded a Belfast Classical Bursary for the most promising young musician in 2001. He has performed as a soloist on several occasions with the Ulster Orchestra including two Proms in the Park concerts at the Belfast City Hall. Since graduating from the Royal College of Music in 2005, where he attended alongside James, Scott has worked with the RTE symphony orchestra in Dublin and the London Steve Reich ensemble, as well as continuing his interest in Jazz piano by performing at venues in London and at home in Belfast.
Last Updated : 05/04/2009